Divided pallet brick package



N0V 27, 1956 w. E. WHITE ETAL 2,771,989

DIVIDED PALLET BRICK PACKAGE @f-ww@ Nov. 27, 195e W, "E, WHlTE Em 2,771,989

DIVIDED PALLET BRICK PACKAGE Filed June 25. 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 l l' Mlm, "Hin im im I x9 7 y4I mmv/01|'. [IN

[gl Hl' [lil Ulm 1N VENTORS' Nov. 27, 1956 W, E WHlTE ETAL 2,771,989

DIVIDED PLLET BRICK PACKAGE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 25. 1954 INVENTORS United States Patent O DIVIDED PALLET BRICK PACKAGE William E. White, Bethlehem, Pa., and John R. Clark, Silver Spring, Md., assignors, by mesne assignments, to .lohn R. Clark and Thomas Somerville ill, Kenwood, Md., trustees Application June 25, 1954, Serial No. 439,338

1 Claim. (Cl. 20G-65) This invention relates in general to brick packaging, and more particularly to a method and means for uniting in one compact package a plurality of palletized subpackages of bricks or the like for convenience in handling and transportation.

The factors of Weight, size and numbers of bricks in an ordinary shipment of bricks are such as to render the manual handling of individual bricks economically almost impossible, especially when the large number of necessary moves from kiln to final user and the ease with which bricks become chipped or broken are considered. Mechanized local handling by standard fork lift trucks or the like requires the bricks to be palletized and handled as unitary packages of the most convenient size and weight. 'Ihe requirements for long distance shipments, by truck or rail, are obviously similar, except that additional protection against shifting and other disturbances in transit is necessary, and the most economical size of package for such transport is considerably larger.

In accordance with this invention, therefore, the bricks are initially palletized in a plurality of convenient subpackages, which are then united into one large package for most economical transportation. The specific embodiment disclosed herein consists of four palletized units, each containing 126 standard 81/2 X 4% x 2% in.) building bricks, or 504 bricks in all, though other numbers or sizes of bricks may obviously be so packaged if desired.

One object of the invention is thus to provide a strong and rigid package of palletized sub-units of bricks.

Another object is a brick package in which the palletized sub-units have strong and weather-proof individual coverings.

Still other objects, purposes, and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter in the specification, in the claim, and in the drawings.

In the attached three sheets of drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the assembled brick package;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of said package;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one ofthe palletized units minus protective cover; and

Fig. 4 is a similar perspective view of a palletized unit with waterproof cover and showing the ease of handling said units with conventional fork lifting'means.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, each of the separate pallets 1 constituting the bottom of a sub-package unit is a reticular metal structure formed of a plurality of lateral wires 2 bent centrally and at each end to form three U-shaped legs 3, 4 and 5, each open at top to permit pairs of bricks 6 to be laid on edge lengthwise therein.

The said lateral wires are held in evenly spaced parallel relation by a plurality of relatively short longitudinal wires 7 securely welded in place therebeneath.

It is plain from the foregoing that the height of each leg will correspond substantially to the width of one brick. The center leg 4 must provide a broad footing, being required to support a major part of the load of the 2,771,989 Patented Nov. 27, 1956 ICC unit, and therefore must be wide enough to hold several rows of bricks, ve such rows being shown. The side legs 3 and 5 need not be wider than the thickness of a single brick. Each pallet itself, then, will contain fourteen bricks, in the arrangement shown.

Upon said wire pallet 1 and the fourteen bricks therein are piled successive layers of bricks in rowlock courses, the bricks of each course being arranged at an angle of to the course immediately thereunder to provide a rectangular stack or sub-package 8 of interlocked bricks on the pallet.

Assuming fourteen bricks in the legs of each pallet, with four layers of twenty-eight bricks piled on edge thereon, the resulting stack or sub-package 8 of 126 bricks will be approximately 211A in. high and 17 x 34 in. on the side dimensions, being well within the size and weight capacity of any standard fork lift truck.

Over each such stack of bricks may be placed a suitable cover 9 of heavy waterproof paper or the like, as shown, for example, in Letters Patent No. 2,496,984, issued February 7, 1950, to John R. Clark, one of the coinventors herein. The use of any such cover is optional, however, since it may not in all cases be required.

Each such palletized brick stack or sub-package 8 is capable of being handled to a limited extent as a separate unit without any additional attachments. However, for maximum protection and economy in carload transportation it is preferred to place two (or more) such subpackages together, end to end; then to pile a corresponding number of sub-packages on the first sub-package; and finally to enclose all said sub-packages ltightly within a rectangular container or cage consisting of four identical welded wire recticular side panels 10 fastened together at each corner by alternative vertical detent wires 11 engaging cooperating hooks 12 and clips 13 and thereby form one large, rigidly secured and transportable uni-tary package, typically of 504 bricks and about 45 in. high, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, each of said side panels 10 comprises a reticular fabric of welded vertical and horizontal wire members. The vertical members of each panel include the relatively closely spaced pair of detent wires 11 near one side edge of the panel, which edge is bent backward at substantially a right angle to form one corner of the enclosure. The remaining vertical members comprise a central pair of spaced parallel wires 14, and intermediate wires 15 and 16 positioned between said central pair of wires 14 and the opposite ends of the parallel spaced transverse wires 17 bearing the hooks 12 on one side edge. Said transverse Wires 17 comprise the horizontal members of the panel, together with the short center bottom wires 18 which connect the central pair of vertical wires 14.

The exact lengths of the vertical wire members are not critical, but as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the lower ends of the central pair of wires 14 may engage the bottom layer of bricks in the package, while the lower ends of the other vertical members need not extend below the second layer of bricks from the bottom. The upper ends of most of the vertical members may terminate near the top of the pile, except that one or two of said vertical members should be extended and bent inward at substantially a right angle as at 19 so as to suspend the panel from the top of the brick pile.

v The reticular welded pallets 1 and side panels 10 may obviously be of heavy steel wire of any desired size, but No. 4 gauge or larger is suggested as generally most suitable.

In another aspect of the invention, the large group of bricks contained within the assembled side panels 10 is in effect divided by the pallets 1 into several smaller groups each of which may again be handled as a unit when said side panels are removed.

Since bricks are normally'sold in lots of one thousand4 arms 20 of Fig. 4, and yet will not overloadl even a small` truck or a scalold at the Work site.

Although We havel thus described our invention nere-' inabove in considerable detail, we donot wish to be limited narrowly to the exact and specc structureV shown, but we may also use such modications, substitutions', or equivalents thereof as are embraced Within the scope of the invention or pointed out in the appended claim.

We claim:

A divisible package of bricks or the like, comprising a group of like rectangular sub-packages of bricks, each sub-package having a pallet formed from a single sheet of welded metal wire fabric having spaced leg portions defining therebetween channels for a lifting fork, at least two sub-packages being placed together end to end with the channels in horizontal alignment, a second group of at least two packages superimposed on the first group with their channels in horizontal alignment and parallel yto the channels of the rst group, each sub-package of bricks having a removable cover maintaining the separate integrity of each sub-package, and an enclosure comprised of separate reticular metal wire panels depending and supported from the top of the assembled package and holding it snugly together.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,922,560 Sullivan Aug. l5, 1933 2,496,984 Clark Feb. 7, 1950 2,590,941 Coit, Ir Apr. 1,' 1952 2,658,614 Van Patten Nov. 10, 1953" 

